Book Discussion (Anna Karenina)

Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina is probably the best novel ever written. I fell in love with Russian literature after reading Crime and Punishment (another personal favorite). It’s realism really captured me. So, after exploring more Russian literature and with my Dad’s recommendation, I started Anna Karenina. This book is the epitome of why I read. I read to see others perspectives, live in their head, and just learn about humanity. This book is the most human I’ve ever read. Every relationship, encounter, and thought is so relatable and just simply lifelike. The anxiety and over-thinking each character goes through is something I relate to much, and Tolstoy captures this perfectly. He isn’t afraid to dive into the dark depths of human emotion, which moved me so much. Each characters view on love, family, and life is different but all so relatable at the same time. Tolstoy touched on the best and worst of these aspects to create a beautiful, dark twisted fantasy. The themes of this novel are also things I think deeply about every day including life’s meaning, death, family, politics, philosophy, etc. Tolstoy adds them so naturally and it’s incredible how it made me feel. From birth to dinner parties to death, every scene is filled with raw emotion, it’s just enthralling. This is one of my favorite books ever, if not the favorite, and I highly recommend it.